After the first full week free from new, disturbing phone tapes and inappropriate text messages, the ongoing drama between Mel Gibson and his ex-girlfriend has taken on a quieter tone. Now the actor-director finds himself in the spotlight for what he hasn’t said.

According to TMZ, sources close to Oksana Grigorieva state that Gibson is avoiding giving a deposition concerning the abuse allegations against him.

Grigorieva’s lawyers attempted to schedule Gibson’s deposition last week, but those efforts were met with delays, as the actor’s been out of the country on a fishing trip. But insiders from Grigorieva’s camp believe the real reason for postponing the deposition is simply because Gibson hopes to learn whether or not the L.A. District Attorney plans to prosecute him before saying a word.

While Gibson may be silent for now, a report from RadarOnline revealed the same can’t be said for private investigators working for the star. The gossip website stated “multiple sources” confirmed that Gibson’s hired gumshoes spoke to key witnesses in the he-said, she-said battle, including the dentist who saw Grigorieva’s injuries firsthand and later gave conflicting statements.

“Oksana’s camp believe Mel’s private eyes visited the dentist with a clear intent to make a forceful impression,” an insider said. “If a level of doubt was created in regards to the dentist’s view about Oksana’s injuries, he could be considered someone who is not a credible witness.”

Wasilla mayor responds to Levi Johnston’s made-for-TV campaignBristol Palin’s off-again fiancé, Levi Johnston, recently revealed his political ambitions with the announcement of his upcoming reality TV show “Loving Levi: The Road to the Mayor's Office.” The show plans to follow Johnston as he attempts to become mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a post his ex-almost-in-law Sarah Palin once held.

The only way to win the position, of course, would be for the one-time Playgirl model to run against the current office-holder, Mayor Verne E. Rupright, in 2011. Luckily for Johnston, his competition welcomes the challenge and even offered some advice.

“Well, it is a little early to declare,” Mayor Rupright told Entertainment Tonight. “Usually most wait until the year the seat is up. But since I am nearly old enough to be Levi's grandfather, I think it would be wise for him to get a high-school diploma and keep his clothes on. The voters like that!”

Dish on the flyFormer “Culture Club” singer Boy George isn’t buying Lady Gaga’s“occasional” use of cocaine confession. “If Lady Gaga were about to be exposed as a drug user I would understand her recent confession to Vanity Fair that she is an 'occasional' coke sniffer,” he wrote to his Papermag blog. “But why offer up this information on a whim? Could it be that her use of coke is not so ‘occasional?’ As a recovering addict who knows how dangerous ‘occasional’ use is, I can think of no reason for Gaga to reveal this to her young audience.” … “Arrested Development” star Jason Bateman cleaned up his dot com. “Jason Bateman was a big gay porn site. It was for a long time,” the actor revealed in a quote published to ContactMusic. “We sent some lawyers on that. It was worse — it wasn't even a gay porn site. It was a gay porn hub. ‘From here you can go to thousands of porn sites!’ ”

Tabloid Tidbits is compiled by Ree Hines. Follow @ReeHines on Twitter to gab about the latest gossip.

Talk to the hand

Jodie Foster directs Mel Gibson in the much-delayed film "The Beaver." Gibson is Walter Black, formerlly a successful toy executive and family man who now suffers from depression. No matter what he tries, Walter can't seem to get himself back on track ... until a beaver hand puppet enters his life.
(Summit Entertainment)
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Ready to plead

Gibson arrives at Airport Courthouse in Los Angeles on March 11, 2011. Prosecutors charged Gibson with misdemeanor battery after a lengthy investigation into a fight with his then-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva. Gibson pleaded no contest to resolve the case and faced no jail time.
(Mario Anzuoni / Reuters)
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Tough to hear

At the height of her conflict with Gibson, Grigorieva released audio recordings through the website RadarOnline that captured Gibson raging against her.
(Mikhail Metzel / AP)
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Short-lived romance

After nearly 30 years of marriage to wife Robyn, Gibson left her for Grigorieva, who has a son from an earlier relationship with actor Timothy Dalton. Gibson and Grigorieva had a daughter, Lucia, on Oct. 30, 2009, but split up in April of 2010.
(Jacques Brinon / AP)
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Will audiences come?

Gibson, center, speaks on set during the filming of "Apocalypto" in 2006. This historical epic follows the decline of the Mayan civilization 600 years ago, just before Spanish invaders conquered Central America. The story revolves around one native who fights to save his culture from the outsiders.
(Andrew Cooper / Icon Distribution via AP)
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After the rant

Gibson had his police mug shot taken July 28, 2006, in Los Angeles after he was arrested for drunk driving. He was pulled over for speeding and had a blood alcohol reading of 0.12 percent, according to authorities. More notoriously, Gibson let loose an anti-Semitic tirade, blaming the Jewish people for all "the wars in the world."
(Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept.)
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'Apocalypto' now

Gibson pulls on his beard during a news conference held in Veracruz, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 28, 2005. Gibson announced the shooting of "Apocalypto," a film in which the dialogue is spoken in an obscure Mayan dialect.
(David Hernandez / AP)
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Gibson's 'Passion'

Gibson directs Jim Caviezel as Jesus on the set of Gibson's movie "The Passion of The Christ." The film was based on the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ. The film grossed more than $370 million. Gibson was criticized by some for the film's perceived anti-Semitism.
(Icon Prodictions via AP)
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Good soldier

In "We Were Soldiers" (2002), Gibson played Lt. Colonel Hal Moore who, during the Vietnam War, had to lead his men into a small clearing where they were surrounded by 4,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. The ensuing battle was one of the most savage in U.S. history.
(Getty Images)
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Director and star

In "Braveheart" (1995), Gibson played William Wallace, a Scottish rebel who leads an uprising against the cruel English ruler Edward the Longshanks (Patrick McGoohan), who wishes to inherit the crown of Scotland for himself.
(AFP -Getty Images)
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No pretty-boy role

In "The Man Without a Face" (1993), Gibson plays Justin McLeod, a former teacher whose face was disfigured in an automobile accident and fire who lives as a recluse. He is befriended by a young man named Chuck (Nick Stahl), which ignites suspicion and hostility from the townspeople.
(Everett Collection)
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Sci-fi drama

In "Forever Young" (1992), a 1939 test pilot asks his best friend to use him as a guinea pig for a cryogenics experiment. Daniel McCormick (Gibson) wants to be frozen for a year so that he doesn't have to watch his love lying in a coma. The next thing Daniel knows he's awoken in 1992. The film also features a very young Elijah Wood, right.
(Everett Collection)
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Together for decades

Gibson and wife Robyn attended the "Hamlet" premiere in Los Angeles on Dec. 18, 1990. Gibson married Robyn Moore in 1980 and they divorced in 2009. They have seven children together.
(Barry King / WireImage.com)
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A mother's son

In "Hamlet" (1990), Gibson took on Shakespeare's melancholy Danish prince. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli, the film also starred Glenn Close as Hamlet's mother Gertrude. In real life, Close is only nine years older than Gibson.
(Everett Collection)
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Come fly with me

Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. starred in 1990's "Air America," about two pilots during the Vietnam War who discover their planes are being used to smuggle heroin.
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It takes a team

"Lethal Weapon" (1987) is the first of a series of movies that were released in 1987, 1989, 1992, and 1998, all starring Gibson and Danny Glover as a mismatched pair of Los Angeles police officers.
(Everett Collection)
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A tradition begins

People's "Sexiest Man Alive" list began in 1985 with Mel Gibson. That year Gibson also starred in the final (at least for now, as there are talks of resurrecting the franchise) "Mad Max" film, "Beyond Thunderdome," opposite Tina Turner.
(People)
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Early troubles

In 1984, Gibson starred as Fletcher Christian in "The Bounty," the story of Captain Bligh (Anthony Hopkins), whose cruelty leads to a mutiny on his ship. According to Wikipedia, Gibson and Hopkins did not get along during the shoot. At the time, Hopkins was a teetotaler, and Gibson was struggling with alcoholism. Gibson took to mixing two shots of Scotch with his beer. He dubbed the concoction "Liquid Violence."
(Everett Collection)
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Stunning early performance

"Gallipoli" (1981) tells the story of a group of young Australian men who leave their various backgrounds behind and sign up to join the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) in World War I. They each meet their fates against the Turkish army in the infamous battle.
(Everett Collection)
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'Mad' Mel

In "Mad Max" (1979), an Australian dystopia of decaying order and violent highways, a police pursuit driver is drawn into a path of vengeance after a motorcycle gang targets him for the death of their former leader.
(Everett Collection)
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Auspicious beginnings

Gibson made his feature-film debut in "Summer City" (1976), a low-budget Australian teen drama that chronicles the exploits of a quartet of boys who leave Sydney and head out for a weekend of surfing and adventure. Unfortunately the fun takes a serious turn when they find themselves involved in a murder.
(Platinum Disc)
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